MHRC Research Seminar: Neural Circuit Mechanism of Observational Fear: A Rodent Model of Affective Empathy

Enjoy free admission, all are welcome.
* Seats are limited and will be allocated on a 'first in, first served' basis.
* Online link will be provided if the seats are full.

Topic:

Neural Circuit Mechanism of Observational Fear: A Rodent Model of Affective Empathy

Speaker:

Prof. Hee Sup SHIN
Honorary Fellow
Center for Cognition and Sociality
Institute for Basic Science (IBS)
Republic of Korea

Abstract:

Empathy, the ability to understand and share emotions of others, is crucial for social animals. It forms the foundation of various social behaviors, including emotional contagion, prosocial behavior, theory of mind, and perspective-taking. Studying affective empathy in mice using the observational fear assay offers insights into the neural mechanisms underlying empathy. It was found that diverse brain regions and multiple genes are involved in the observational fear behavior. Synchronized interactions among different brain regions appear to be critical for this behavior. In the talk, Prof. Shin will provide an overview of the status of current research on the neurobiology of empathy, focusing on the neural circuitry.